In this presentation, John Lasseter and Roger Gould from Pixar and Kathy Mangum, Kevin Rafferty, & Jennifer Mok from Walt Disney Imagineering take us on a in-depth exploration of the upcoming Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. While it may not be a Walt Disney World related presentation, it is a fascinating look at the project and a rare opportunity to hear the creative forces behind the project talk for over an hour about every last detail of next Summer’s blockbuster addition to the Disneyland Resort. Enjoy!:

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS TAKES FANS BEHIND THE SCENES
AT DISNEY’S D23 EXPO, AUGUST 19-21

BURBANK, Calif. – August 9, 2011 – Exclusively at Disney’s D23 Expo August 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Disney film fans will go behind the scenes to explore the exciting roster of projects on the horizon at The Walt Disney Studios, with a variety of panel discussions, sneak peeks, and exhibits.

On Saturday, August 20, Rich Ross, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios; Sean Bailey, president, Production, The Walt Disney Studios; John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios; and Kevin Feige, producer and president, Marvel Studios, will present a not-to-be-missed look at The Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming film slate, which includes Disney’s The Muppets, John Carter, Disney•Pixar’s Brave, Marvel’s The Avengers, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and more.

With projects from Disney, Pixar Animation Studios, and Marvel Studios, this special presentation will feature never-before-seen footage and all-star appearances by Jason Segel, Kermit, and Miss Piggy (Disney’s The Muppets), Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, and Willem Dafoe (John Carter), Kelly Macdonald and Kevin McKidd (Brave), Jennifer Garner (The Odd Life of Timothy Green), Jack McBrayer and Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph), cast members from Marvel’s The Avengers, and other surprise guests.

In celebration of 25 years of moviemaking magic, five sessions will be devoted to the artistry and technical wizardry of Pixar:

• A Conversation with the Pixar Creative Team – Enjoy a rare opportunity to spend some time with the key figures responsible for Pixar’s unprecedented success, including John Lasseter (chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios), Jim Morris (general manager, Pixar Animation Studios), Pete Docter (director, Monsters, Inc., Up), Andrew Stanton (director, Finding Nemo, WALL-E), Bob Peterson (co-director, Up), Lee Unkrich (director, Toy Story 3), Mark Andrews (director, Brave), and Dan Scanlon (director, Monsters University).
• The Characters of Monsters University – Director Dan Scanlon and Production Designer Ricky Nierva discuss how they combine hair, horns, and a lot of heart to bring the wonderful Monsters University characters to life.
• Michael Giacchino’s Music of Pixar – In this musical presentation, award-winning composer Michael Giacchino explores his early influences through the creation of modern-day classic scores from Ratatouille, Up and Cars 2.
• The Art of Brave – Production Designer Steve Pilcher and Shading Art Director Tia Kratter show how they and their team put paint to canvas and fingers to computer keys to create the stunning visuals of Scotland for Disney•Pixar’s upcoming film Brave.
• Pixar Shorts – This retrospective screening of the animation studio’s legendary short films will be followed by a panel discussion with several of the filmmakers, including Ralph Eggleston (director, For the Birds), Andy Jimenez (director, One Man Band), Angus MacLane (director, BURN-E), Pete Sohn (director, Partly Cloudy), Teddy Newton (director, Day & Night), and Enrico Casarosa (director, La Luna).

Expo attendees will also have access to advance screenings of an all-new 3D version of The Lion King, presented by RealD 3D, coming to theaters and homes this fall, and the upcoming ABC holiday special Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Out on the Expo floor, fans can explore the world of The Walt Disney Studios at their leisure with comprehensive exhibits, including:

• Walt Disney Studios Animation Pavilion – Experience the art, technology, culture, and legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios with filmmaker demonstrations, drawing classes, book signings, meet-and-greets, and art exhibits.
• Walt Disney Studios In-Home Entertainment Pavilion – Dive into cutting-edge home entertainment technology and learn what the future holds for Disney movie fans, with sneak peeks of upcoming films in breathtaking high-definition Blu-ray 3D™ and more.
• Inside Tides: Pirates of the Caribbean Film Prop Collection – Get an up-close look at an exclusive collection of detailed set pieces, props, and costumes from the billion-dollar blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Heads up Pixar fans – we’re breaking an exciting announcement this morning on the Disney Parks Blog.

The 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will celebrate all-things Pixar, including the upcoming release of “Cars 2,” during Pixar’s 25th Anniversary Weekend May 13-15 at Epcot.

Mater from “Cars” and “Cars 2” leads the celebration, which will include special Pixar character meet and greets, kids activities, informational discussions by Pixar filmmakers and more.

World Showplace (located between the Canada and United Kingdom pavilions), will serve as the celebration headquarters. Inside, families can enjoy meet and greets with characters from “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story 3,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Up,” or browse a photo gallery that calls out some of Pixar’s best Easter eggs from past films. There also will be an art gallery that displays the creative work that went in to Pixar films.

World Showplace also will be the setting for informational discussions by Pixar filmmakers: Composer Michael Giacchino, Producer Jonas Rivera and “Cars” Franchise Guardian Jay Ward (pictured above). Discussions will take place May 14-15 (times are still TBD).

And the Pixar fun will continue throughout World Showcase, where characters from “Toy Story,” “Ratatouille” and “A Bug’s Life” wait to greet guests. Kids also can play the “Cars 2” Race Around the World Showcase game by picking up a booklet with clues that send them on a journey to specific World Showcase pavilions, where they’ll receive more clues, and receive a reward at the end. (All entertainment is subject to change).

You can find more information on the events official site at www.PIXARWeekend.com!

We begin at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Gnomio & Juliet was going to be a Disney movie, now it’s just a Disney promoted movie…

Bambi is coming to Blu-ray

Disney Junior billboards are already up at Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!

Playhouse Disney closes for the conversion on January 30th

Some of the Hall of Fame busts are missing for some reason

PIXAR Pals is not listed as a parade… that statement took new meaning later in the day…

I would have taken more photos, but I dropped my camera in disbelief

Moving over to Epcot, MouseGear has a window display for the Walt Disney World 40th anniversary merchandise

A lot of work going on in Future World central, but more on that later

The redesign of MouseGear is just about complete

New Epcot “toothpick holders”

The movement of the merchandise really opens the store up, very reminiscent of the Centorium

Animation Vinylmation… or is it Vinylmation Animation series… I’m confused… so go to the Vinylmation Station website…

We’d love to know what the ten on this shirt stands for… trust me, we tried everything!

40th Anniversary merchandise out in full force

“toothpick holder”

Playing cards

The last little piece of store is being worked on now

New Mickey and friends skateboarding action figures

The checkered concrete placed in 1999 is being ripped up, and most likely the remaining Millennium props from the area with it

More concrete marked for removal

Let the Memories begin… with napkins…

Just like Space Mountain, Test Track now places text over your photo preview

The big red planet at Mission:Space is getting dirty

Maybe they need the AXE detailer… (someone got the joke)

Moving briefly to the Magic Kingdom, rumors have El Pirata Y El Perico becoming a Pirates restaurant after the exterior refurbishment is complete

We’ll just have to wait and see if “Tortuga Tavern” ever happens…

Splash Mountain is under refurbishment

Thanks for reading!

Now that Block Party Bash is gone, we can turn our attention to the upcoming “PIXAR Pals: Countdown to Fun”. The new parade is scheduled to debut on January 16th, but as always, we can expect some early performances at some point in the days before the official first performance. There has been a lot of speculation as to what floats will be included in the parade since the announcement. We expect to see the existing Block Party Bash floats that carry characters from “A Bug’s Life”, “Monsters Inc.”, and “Toy Story”, but what are the floats carrying characters from “The Incredibles”, “Ratatouille”, and “Up” going to look like? Here’s our theory:

Either Walt Disney World has built a new float for “The Incredibles” or we can expect to see these floats make their way to Florida from California Adventure this week

Construction and new float height requirements are being cited for the removal of the PIXAR Play Parade from DCA, and this is one of the taller floats, so it would make sense to send it to the Studios.

The “Ratatouille” float was the tallest in the parade and was only used during busy Summer months, so we can assume we will see this at DHS

The “Up” float is another mystery, but the little seen pre-parade float from California in 2009 seems like a candidate

Another question is the parade soundtrack. Yes, we can expect to hear the PIXAR Play Parade main theme and the songs that were in that parade to play along with characters from “Ratatouille”, “The Incredibles”, “Monsters Inc.”, “Toy Story” and “A Bug’s Life”, but what about “Up”? These characters were never in that parade, so we should expect to hear something new for Carl Fredrickson and the gang. Again, this is all purely speculation at this point but are the most likely outcomes for this new parade we’ll see at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2 weeks. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on the “PIXAR Pals Countdown to Fun”.

The gingerbread house is up and open at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

The tree in the Grand Floridian lobby

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom

Exposition Hall still behind tarps

The Dapper Dans in their holiday finest

The Tomorrowland stage decorated for the season

Coca-Cola Cool Ship and Scanner still being refurbished

New paint scheme on the Mad Tea Party

Not sure how well it fits

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger are once again greeting guests across from their attraction

New signage at the attraction

The interactive queue was still closed on the 17th

“Pooh=Sticks now line the interior queue

New loading gates

The “Hundred Acre Goods” shop only changed the facade during the latest refurbishment, the size of the shop was cut down months ago

How is “it’s a small world” fairing with its re-routed queue?

Let’s find out!

Good so far…

looks great… (I don’t think we’ll ever get used to this)

Let’s take a ride on the Liberty Belle

Of course Banks did it only so he can take photos of the work on the Haunted Mansion queue

Happy 30th birthday Big Thunder Mountain!

Over at the Mansion, walls are being ripped out

It’s hard to see what is actually going on

Just a lot of moved dirt at this point

Welcome to Hollywood!

The Studios’ Christmas tree

Hollywood and Sunset Blvd. decorated for the season

Scaffolding up on Tower of Terror

The new stars around the Sorcerer’s Hat actually create a nice effect at night

I can’t wait for Star Tours to open, so this can close…

It’s Christmas at Muppet Studios

It’s time to flip the switch on the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Prep and Landing playing on a TV

Found the black cat!

Snow falls on screens placed in the windows of one of the buildings, something new for this year

Over by Pixar Place, topiaries celebrating the release of Toy Story 3 on Blu-ray and DVD are up. If you’re reading this, you probably own it already…

Moving over to Epcot, the holidays are in full-force as well

Duffy greets guests into the evening

The Mickey and Minnie topiaries are behind the Fountain of Nations this year

A new Coffee, Pastry, and Espresso shop has opened at the entrance of the park next to the monorail station, now matching the one already at the TTC

We hope you enjoyed the report!

Coming soon: a new Walt Disney World Resort! Disney’s Art of Animation Resort hotel, a Disney Value Resort hotel, will draw its inspiration from 4 classic Disney animated films: The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Disney·Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Cars.Booking dates for this family-friendly resort, scheduled to open Summer of 2012, have not been announced yet. Please continue to check back for more information and details.

Step into some of your favorite stories! Each one of the Disney’s Art of Animation Resort buildings are being designed to make you feel like you are part of one of 4 beloved animated films. Trace the movie’s theme, from the playful courtyards to the festive room interiors.

The 864 rooms planned within The Little Mermaid buildings will be sea-inspired with an eye towards value.

The Lion King, Cars and Finding Nemo buildings are planned to exclusively feature family suites which accommodate up to six guests. The concepts show a total of 1,120 family suites—all arranged for added space and comfort.

The concept for these family suites include:

• 2 separate bathrooms
• A master bedroom
• 3 separate sleeping areas within the living space, which includes an “Inovabed”—an impressive piece of furniture that transforms from a generously sized dining or work table to a comfortable bed in seconds.

Kids and kids at heart will be able to romp through one of the 4 courtyards—one courtyard for each film—where there will be icons and sculptures to interact with and play around. Make a splash in the main pool—complete with a pool bar—or relax in one of the 2 quiet pool areas. Planned amenities at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort include an animation-themed food court, arcade, retail location and interior airline check-in stations.

Location and General Information
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is scheduled to be located near Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. It will be a smoke-free Resort; smoking will be permitted only in designated outdoor smoking locations.

Disney/Pixar fans, we’ve got some great news to share today. The entertainment team at Walt Disney World Resort is in the midst of developing a new parade for Disney’s Hollywood Studios featuring some favorite Pixar pals. While details are still being worked out, we do know that four Pixar characters not currently seen at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Remy and Emile from “Ratatouille” and Carl and Russell from Disney/Pixar’s “Up” – will be added to the lineup.

For those who want to be sure to celebrate the last dance with their favorites from Block Party Bash, make sure to mark January 1 for the final performance. The new show is scheduled to open January 16. Keep your eye on the blog for more future parade updates.

While this announcement says “new parade”, I wouldn’t necessarily buy it. It sounds like it may be a few new floats mixed in with the existing Block Party Bash floats in a more traditional performance without show-stops. A new soundtrack and name are sure to be a part of it. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this breaking story becomes available.

Work continues on Pollo Campero at Downtown Disney

They are doing a lot more work to the building than we expected

Walls being ripped out

The LEGO Imagination Center always has some cool stuff

You can own a “fully operational battle station”

only $399.99….

Let’s stop by Disney’s Pin Traders

Muppet Star Wars pins join the Disney characters this month

Open edition pins that celebrate attractions and such are now part of the Disney Parks Collection

Precious Moments Disney Pins

Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Streetmosphere out and about

Even in some strange places

Time for some Mania on the Midway

This queue has seen better days

The villains now have icons in the back of the practice game

A blurry shot of the new Dino-Darts game

Mr. Pricklepants and Dolly join the prize scene

I can’t wait to light all of these up at once…..

Awesome Toy Story 3 shirt

We might see some movement here soon

New billboard for Handy Manny movie

May the merch be with you!

“Oh Mickey!” merchandise moves beyond pins and Vinylmation into ear hats and more

Really cool “Oh Mickey!” plush

Work on the New York Street facade continues

Starspeeder 3000 vehicles are still available

A really cool Star Tours puzzle mixed in here

Yayyyyyyyyy!

Work continues on the facade of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster

Moving over to Epcot….

Restrooms still closed

The Safety Smart Lab has been open for a few weeks now

Flower and Garden Festival disappears

Work continues on Hacienda De San Angel

Work right across the path on Donald’s permanent meet and greet

Work continues on Via Napoli in the Italy pavilion

America Gardens Theater prepares for Sounds Like Summer

Some of the Flower and Garden Festival is still being removed

Some facade work on the lighthouse at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club

Thanks for the report Josh, and welcome to the team!!!